Jérôme (Innovacom): Yann Chevalier and the Intersec teams help companies embrace the digital revolution and get the most out of their data. It all began several years ago with a specific problem: the spiralling SMS volumes at Telecom operators. The solution they came up with managed to deliver a thousand-fold improvement in the performance of the systems of the time. But they quickly realised that, despite this initial hit, they would have to find fresh avenues of growth. They intuited that the key lay in Big Data and its potential to extract “as-it-happens relevant information” and transform it into real-time decision making. When they came to us, they had the vision and a roadmap but needed help to execute it. The challenge was to take on the vision and to understand and support the move into a new and promising market that was only just taking off around the world.

Yann (Intersec): From first contact, it was clear that the Innovacom team was better versed in the technology than its competitors. The team was immediately interested in our technologies. They wanted to meet customers, see demo products, understand how it all worked. They met with the in-house teams and recognised the maturity of our tech processes. Their decision to invest was grounded in experience and analytics. Our relationship involves regular contact. By on-boarding them we have welcomed them in as partners and they are here with us in good and bad times. Today, we are happy to be building the company together. It is natural, for instance, for us to discuss strategic issues together.

The company now has nearly 120 employees and, thanks to a customer base that includes Cisco, Telefonica and Orange, has been earning 95% of its revenue abroad for the last two years. Less than a year ago Intersec held its third fundraising, totalling EUR 17 million from Innovacom and Boston-based Highland Capital Partners Europe. Two aims: international expansion and penetration into new markets, the banking and transport sectors.